Which Browser Do You Use? Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Opera?

Which Browser Do You Use? Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Opera?

Many users may not care what browser they use – perhaps they all seem the same. Us web designers know that there are big differences and we wish some browsers (ahem, Internet Explorer) would disappear forever. My question is: What browser do you use? Please answer in the poll at the bottom and let me know why you use what you use in the comments below.

Personally I use several browsers, although my favourite is Chrome. For the longest time I was using Firefox but Chrome was first to implement some of the most innovative features such as the universal bar (where you can enter searches, web addresses and even search through your bookmarks and history). Chrome is lightweight, quick to load, has all of the features of a modern browser, and continues to push the envelope.

Firefox is my second choice; a great browser all-round. I used Firefox for several years before switching to Chrome. Firefox now has most of the features Chrome has implemented. I switch between the two for website testing purposes and with each new version release I may find a reason to use one over the other. Each browser also has its own strengths for certain uses (some websites run better on Chrome than Firefox and vice versa). Also, some updates cause issues with the browser so I temporarily switch until the next release fixes those issues.

I imagine that most young and reasonably tech-savvy people use either Chrome and Firefox and know better than to use Internet Explorer. Previously I wrote about how how much internet explorer sucks, especially for web designers that have to find work-arounds to support a browser that doesn’t work like the rest. Unfortunately, us web designers are forced to take Internet Explorer into consideration because many users (mostly new to the internet) still use Internet Explorer. It doesn’t help that IE is the default browser on all new Windows installations.

I ask each of you, regardless of which browser you use, to please do the world a favour by installing Firefox or Chrome for your friends and family that are still using Internet Explorer. It will save web designers like myself significant pain and several heart attacks.